Mr. Atlanta-San Francisco

Back in the geographically confused day (1970-2001), the Falcons were members of the NFC West and the Braves were members of the NL West (1969-93). One man bridged Peachtree Street and Market Street: Deion Sanders. A look at what “Prime Time” did as a cornerback and outfielder for those four teams:

Team, Years

Stats

Falcons, 1989-93

24 interceptions, 5 punt/kickoff-return TDs.

49ers, 1994

6 interceptions, 3 for TDs. Helped S.F. win Super Bowl.

Braves, 1991-94

Hit. .277 in 292 games. Led majors with 14 triples in ’92.

Giants, 1995

Hit .285 in 52 games.

Matty Omen

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan set franchise records for attempts, completions and completion percentage in 2012. His 68.6 completion percentage led the NFL and was the 13th-best season by any quarterback attempting at least 300 passes. Of the 12 other QBs who posted a completion percentage of 68.6-or-better, seven won conference championships, and four won the Super Bowl.

A lot on the side

Colin Kaepernick has thrown more passes toward the sideline this season than Alex Smith (65 to 53 percent of all attempts) and the change has benefited Michael Crabtree. Crabtree has doubled his production on throws outside the painted numbers with Kaepernick at quarterback, including five receptions for 64 yards in the playoff win over Green Bay.

World-Super

The 49ers are two wins from giving San Francisco a Super Bowl champion directly after the Giants won the World Series. A Super Bowl champion has followed a World Series champion from the same metropolitan area four times:

Season, Area

Series champ

Super Bowl champ

1970, Baltimore

Orioles

Colts

1979, Pittsburgh

Pirates

Steelers

1986, New York

Mets

Giants

2004, Boston

Red Sox

Patriots

Kaepernick’s record day

In his eighth career start, Colin Kaepernick had the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history in the 45-31 divisional-playoff win over the Packers:

Quarterback, Team

Date, Opponent

Yards

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers

Jan. 12, 2013 vs. Green Bay

181

Michael Vick, Falcons

Dec. 12, 2002 at Minnesota

173

Michael Vick, Falcons

Nov. 26, 2006 vs. New Orleans

166

Tobin Rote, Packers

Nov. 18, 1951 at Chicago

150

Michael Vick, Falcons

Dec. 7, 2003 vs. Carolina

141

2-for-2

Jim Harbaugh is the eighth head coach in NFL history – and the fourth since 1970 – to reach the conference or league championship in each of his first two seasons in the league:

Falconry

Under head coach Mike Smith, the Falcons have posted a 34-8 record at home over the past five seasons (including playoffs). Since Smith became Atlanta’s head coach in 2008, the Falcons’ .810 winning percentage at the Georgia Dome is the best mark in the NFC and the third-best winning percentage in the NFL (including playoffs):

Team

W-L

Pct.

Baltimore

35-7

.833

New England

37-8

.822

Atlanta

34-8

.810

Green Bay

33-9

.786

Pittsburgh

33-11

.750

Quick strike

The 49ers led the league in scoring quickly, posting 77 points on drives lasting four or fewer plays and then scoring another fast 14 in their playoff win. The Falcons were tied for sixth in the regular season, with 56 points – including a one-play drive in Atlanta’s Week 12 win at Tampa Bay when Matt Ryan hit Julio Jones for an 80-yard touchdown. Six of the top seven teams in terms of quick-strike scoring made the playoffs in 2012: